WPSA Policies and Procedures

Adopted March 14, 1997

Amended:

April 18, 2019 - March 6, 2019 - April 13, 2017 - September 3, 2015 - April 2, 2015 - March 28, 2013 - March 22, 2012 - October 3, 2011 - September 2, 2010 - April 1, 2010 - August 28, 2008 - March 20, 2008 - August 28, 2007 - March 8, 2007 - March 16, 2006 - March 11, 2004 - August 29, 2003 - March 27, 2003 - August 30, 2002 - March 15, 2001 - September 2, 2000 - September 3, 1999 - September 4, 1998 - March 21,1998

I. ANNUAL AWARDS

A. The following annual awards have been approved by the Association:

1) Dissertation Award: For the best doctoral dissertation completed at a university within the regional groupings of the WPSA between July 1 and June 30 of the previous academic year.

2) Pi Sigma Alpha Award: For the best paper presented at the previous WPSA annual meeting.

3) Betty Nesvold Women and Politics Award: For the best paper on women and politics presented at the previous WPSA annual meeting.

4) WPSA Best Paper Award on Latina/Latino Politics: For an outstanding paper on Latina/Latino politics and its relative aspects.

5) Award by Committee on the Status of Blacks: For an outstanding paper discussing issues and problems that concern most Black Americans.

6) Political Research Quarterly Best Article Award: For the best article published in the Political Research Quarterly during the calendar year preceding the annual meeting at which the award is to be presented.

7) Charles Redd Center Award: For the best paper on the politics of the American West presented at the previous WPSA annual meeting.

8) Environmental Political Theory Award: For the best paper in environmental political theory (EPT) presented at the previous WPSA meetings

9) Don T. Nakanishi Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Service in Asian Pacific American Politics.

10) The Clay Morgan Award: For the Best Book published in Environmental Political Theory during the previous three years.

B. The following guidelines are applicable to the awards given by the Association:

1) The committees to determine recipients of the Dissertation Award, the Charles Redd Center Award, the Pi Sigma Alpha Award, and the Environmental Political Theory Award shall be comprised of three members each. The President of the Association shall appoint all three members of each committee by January 15. Recommendations for appointments to the EPT Award Committee will be sent to the President at the conclusion of the annual EPT Workshop by members of that group. These award committees will review papers delivered two months later at the March WPSA meetings, and the papers selected will be announced as the award winners at the WPSA meetings the following year in March. The award committees shall adopt procedures to assure a fair evaluation of submissions from all fields.

2) Selection of winners of the Betty Nesvold Women and Politics Award, the Latina/Latino Politics Award, the Blacks and Politics Award, and the Asian Pacific American and Politics Award shall be the responsibility of the four relevant status committees. The award winners chosen will be announced at the WPSA meetings in March of the year following the initial presentation of the papers. The chair of the status committee shall chair the selection of the award.

a) The Chair of each award committee shall be responsible for securing all papers eligible for the award.

3) The award committee for the Political Research Quarterly Best Paper Award shall be comprised of three members. The President of the Association shall appoint the chair of the committee, and the editors of the Political Research Quarterly shall select the other two members by January 15.

4) All WPSA awards should carry a monetary prize, the exact sum of which shall be determined by the Executive Council. Currently the amounts for the Dissertation Award, the Betty Nesvold Women and Politics Award, the Latina/Latino Politics Award, the Blacks and Politics Award, the Charles Redd Center Award, the Environmental Political Theory Award, and the Asian Pacific American and Politics Award are $250 each. The amount for the Pi Sigma Alpha Award is $500, and the amount for the Political Research Quarterly Best Article Award is $1000. The WPSA Executive Council, however, retains the right to create awards that do not carry a monetary prize. The award prize may include the waiving of registration fees or other actions that recognize the achievements of the recipients.

5) As part of the long-standing commitment of the Association to have the Political Research Quarterly reflect the intellectual strengths of the organization, WPSA paper award winners are provided with an enhanced opportunity to seek publication of the paper in PRQ. Papers receiving WPSA awards will be offered the opportunity of an expedited review. If, after the first review, an award winning paper does not meet the normal publication standards as determined by the editor(s), at least one opportunity to revise and resubmit will be provided to the author(s). There is no guarantee that papers will be published, but the editors will make every effort to work with authors to bring manuscripts to the level required by the normal peer review process. Papers must be submitted through the web-based submission system within six months of receipt of the award.

6) The committees that determine the awards for the best papers presented at the annual meeting of the WPSA may recognize only one winning paper each year. The PRQ award committee should also strive to recognize only one winning article each year. However, the PRQ award committee may recognize up to two co-winners if it decides that two articles are of equal significance. All award committees may issue statements of honorable mention.

7) The Betty E. Moulds Lifetime Service Award was created to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions to the operation and status of the Western Political Science Association (WPSA). To be eligible for the award, the candidate must:

- Be a member in good standing with the WPSA in recent years.

- Have contributed to WPSA in two or more of the following manners:

1. Held a position of leadership in the association (Executive Director, President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc.)

2. Served as a member of the WPSA Executive Council

3. Served on WPSA committees or task forces

4. Participated in WPSA activities beyond attending the annual meetings, such as pre-conference workshops

- Be present at WPSA Annual Meeting to receive the commendation unless extenuating circumstances do not allow their presence.

8) In any year, an award committee may decline to make an award.

9) Winners of all awards shall be announced at the annual meeting of the WPSA.

10) Announcements concerning the availability of the awards and deadlines for submission are to be published in the September issue of the PRQ and included within the Fall mailing to all members and departments within the WPSA.

11) The Executive Council shall from time to time review the awards given by the Association and assess the need for deletions or additions.

II. ANNUAL MEETINGS

A. The Council shall attempt to agree on sites two years in advance of each annual meeting.

B. Registration fees for those attending the annual meeting shall be separate from annual dues and the fee amount shall be determined by the Executive Director, President and the Program Chairperson.

C. The Local Arrangements Chairperson is responsible for serving as liaison to the annual meeting hotel, securing information regarding area resources, and assisting the Program Chair, the Executive Director and the Associate Director with a variety of administrative tasks to insure that the annual meeting runs smoothly for the members. He/she shall be responsible for scheduling all special events including the pre-meeting workshops and act as liaison with the hotel staff and workshop coordinators.

D. The Executive and Associate Directors are responsible for the budget, financial arrangements and accountings for the annual meeting; updating, maintaining and distributing procedural manual for building the program; training section chairs on the software for the program; compiling and maintaining the database for the building of the preliminary and final program both on the Web and in print; maintaining registration database and procedures; soliciting and contracting with various publishers to exhibit and advertise at the meeting; notifying members of their participation in the program, of meeting agendas and of hotel and other local arrangements (through mailings and web postings); providing program data to All Academic, Inc., to facilitate Web posting of meeting participants' papers.

E. Decisions concerning whether to schedule formal luncheons and dinners, and selection of distinguished speakers for such events, shall be made jointly by the President, the Program Chairperson, and the Local Arrangements Chairperson.

F. The Executive Director shall, in fall preceding each annual business meeting, request items for the agenda of that meeting. Proposed items will be placed on the agenda of the next business meeting under "New Business" in the order in which proposals endorsed by at least twenty-five (25) dues-paying members of the Western Political Science Association from three or more separate institutions shall be received by the Executive Director. Such proposals must be received by the Executive Director on or before December 10. The Executive Director shall notify the membership of the association of all properly endorsed agenda items in the mailing that includes or notes the preliminary program of the meeting each spring.

XII. AMENDMENT

These policies and procedures may be amended by majority vote of the Executive Council of the Association.